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Federal Way senior Raven Benton (20) averaged close to 27 points a game for the Eagles. Benton is the Mirror's 2013 Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

— image credit: File photo

Raven Benton doesn’t have any trouble putting the ball in the basket. The Federal Way High School senior made that very, very clear during the 2012-13 season for the Eagles.

The 5-foot-10 guard recently finished one of the best careers at basketball-rich Federal Way High School. The senior tallied 1,304 points during her years playing for the Eagles and played at a pair of state tournaments.

But this was a special season for Benton. As a senior, Benton averaged a eye-popping 26.6 points a game and had nine games of 30 or more points. Stats that made Benton an easy choice for the Mirror’s 2013 Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

Benton led the Eagles to a 12-4 season in the South Puget Sound League South Division, which was good for third place. She scored 638 of Federal Way’s 1,323 points this season (48 percent) and was in double figures in all 24 games.

In the Eagles’ second game of the season, Benton poured in 38 during a 58-55 win over Rogers and 38 during a 66-65 loss to Kentwood at the SPSL Tournament. She also had games of 37, two of 36, 35, 34 and two 30-point outbursts.

Benton was also named the Most Valuable Player in the SPSL South, All-Area by The News Tribune and Seattle Times.

Benton was a three-year starter for the Eagles and averaged 15.2 points as a junior, leading Federal Way to a 22-6 record and the SPSL South title.

Megan Huff, Beamer

The 6-foot-3 junior was the veteran of the young Titan squad that won the South Puget Sound League South Division championship with a 15-1 record. Huff led Beamer in scoring and rebounding and was a first-team, All-SPSL South selection by the league’s coaches.

Huff averaged 14.3 points a game and had a high game of 30 during a win over Emerald Ridge early in the season. But Huff’s best game might have come in the SPSL Championship Game against top-ranked Mount Rainier when she scored 28 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.

Huff should be one of the higher-recruited girls basketball players in the state next season and the Titans’ should be an early favorite for the Class 4A championship.

Jada Piper, Jefferson

The Raiders struggled to a 5-14 record this season, but Piper was a standout. The senior scored in double figures in every one of TJ’s games this season and averaged a team-best 17.7 points.

Piper was a second-team, All-SPSL North Division selection by the league’s coaches and scored 20 or more points seven times. She had a streak during the middle of the season where she tallied 20 or more points in five-straight contests, including a 25-point game during a win over Kent-Meridian.

Nia Alexander, Beamer

Alexander was one of the very impressive group of freshman for the Titans this season. The 5-foot-10 wing averaged 10.6 points during the year, but proved to be Beamer’s biggest scoring threat during their impressive postseason run that ended at the Class 4A Regional Tournament, which featured the final 16 teams in the state.

Alexander, the daughter of head coach Corey Alexander, scored at least 13 points in the Titans’ final four games, including a team-leading 15 points during the season-ending loss to Arlington at regionals. She tallied a season-best 21 points during a win over Puyallup on Jan. 3.

Quinessa Caylao-Do, Beamer

The freshman had a huge first season for the Titans. Caylao-Do averaged 13.5 points and was in double figures in all but four games for Beamer. She finished the year with 11-straight double-digit games, including 24 during the Titans’ regional-clinching win over Kentwood.

Caylao-Do was a second-team, All-SPSL South selection by the league’s coaches as a guard. She helped the Titans finish 20-6 on the season, including 15-1 in the SPSL South.

Bria Rice, Beamer

The freshman point guard was the motor that made the Titans go all season long.

Rice averaged 10.5 points a game, but her true meaning was running the offense for the talented Beamer bunch as the team’s primary ball handler.

Rice suffered an ankle sprain during the Titans’ West Central/Southwest District opener against Gig Harbor and missed three postseason games, the last of which was a 51-33 loss to Mount Rainier in the district title game.

Rice scored 20 points during a pair of wins over Emerald Ridge and Puyallup.

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